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and grayling with artificial flies in a given time, 

 on the same rivers, than any six of the " pre- 

 tended-imitation" professors. They are to tie 

 on their own flies in accordance with their 

 theory, " that it is quite unimportant to imitate 

 any species of living insect ;" and we shall tie 

 on ours according to our doctrine, " that it is 

 all-important not only to imitate, as nearly as 

 art can, .living insects, but also the different 

 species of those insects." Let not one of our 

 readers suppose for an instant, that we are 

 " -obstructives" in the way of improvement and 

 useful innovation. Not so, by the disinterested 

 honour of an angler; but we are as cautious 

 conservators of the true principles of fly-fishing, 

 as the lord-mayor of London is of the Thames 

 from Richmond to the Medway. But let us 

 oppose to the assertions of the learned the ob- 

 servations of the experienced. 



Piscator, in Cotton, has, after minute in- 

 structions, tied on a fly, and says to his pupil, 

 Viator, " There's a fly made : and now, how do 

 you like it?" Viator answers, "In earnest, 

 admirably well; and it perfectly resembles a 

 fly." Hereupon Mr. Professor Rennie makes 

 the following annotation : "If so, it is more 

 than ever I saw any angler's artificial flies do, 

 which, to use Shakspeare's term, imitate 

 Nature abominably ; but, though noways like 



